Life-saving vessel.



No. 731,394. r V PATENTBD JUNE 16, 1903. I. & B. E. TERWILLEGER. LIFE SAVING VESSEL.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 20, 1902.

N0 MODEL. -2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 m: Noam PETERS co, PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON n. c

' No. 731,394. I I PATENTED JUNE 16,- 1903. F. & B. E. TERWILLEGER. LIFE SAVING VESSEL.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 20, 1902.

no MODEL. -2 snnn'rs-simm 2.

auwntozo.

" u I mg i: I

U ITED STATES ATFENT Patented June 16, 1903.

FRANCIS TERWILLEGER AND BERTRAND EUGENE TERVVILLEGER, OF LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PENNSYLVANIA.

LIFE-SAVING VESSEL.

SPECIFICATION forming art Of matters Patent No. 731,394, dated. June 16, 1 903. Application filed December 20, 1902 Serial No. 136,055. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANCIS TERWILLE- GER and BERTRAND EUGENE TERWILLEGER,

citizens of the United States, residing at Lin-' afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 1 Our invention is an improved life-saving vessel; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices hereinafter fully described and claimed.

One object of our invention is to provide a novel life-saving vessel of globular form which is of maximum strength, seaworthy, and of great stability in the midst of waves.

A further object is to provide a car disposed in the globular vessel for universal movement therein and which relieves the passengers from the eifect of the rolling of the vessel.

A further object of ourinvention is to provide means for directing the car in the Vessel and for stopping the car at any desired point in the vessel.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an exterior elevation of a life-saving vessel embodying our improvements. Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the same. Fig. 3 isa similar View taken on aplane at right angles to that of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a detail elevation, partly in section, of the gears for moving the car in the vessel and for arresting the movement of the car therein.

In the construction of the globular vessel 1 we provide a suitable number of sections 2 of segmental form, which are formed of steel or other suitable material and are provided with inwardly-extending side'flanges 3 and with overhanging tread-flanges 4, the latter being parallel with the said sections. The sections 2 are placed together with their inwardly-extending flanges 3 in contact, and the said flanges 3 of the several sections are secured together by means of transverselydisposed bolts 5. The said flanges 3 not only form means to secure the sections 2 together,

' but also form inwardly-extending meridional ribs, which greatly strengthen the structure and space the flanges 4. from the outer portions of the sections 2, forming the outer skin of the vessel. The said flanges 1 support the inner skin 6, which is also made of segmental sections of suitable metal and is bolted to the tread-flanges 4 by bolts 7.

At diametrically opposite sides of the globular vessel 1, at the ends of the sections 2, are formed openings 8 9 of circular form and of suitable size, the opening 9 being larger than provided to close the said openings and fit tightly therein and exclude water from entering the vessel. Any suitable means may be employed to admit fresh air to the interior of the vessel.

Within the globular vessel 1 is a car 12. The same is semiglobular in form, is provided with a centrally-disposed cock-pit 13, be tween the floor of which and the bottom of the car is formed a tank 14 to contain water for the use of the passengers, and the space between the sides of which and the sides of the car forms compartments 15, in which provisions and other articles may be stored. The tops of the said compartments 15, extending around the cock-pit, form seats for the passengers. The said car is supported on casters 16, which bear on the inner skin or shell of the vessel, and the said casters enable the globular vessel to turn in any direction withoutimparting motion to the car, which remains always in the lowerside of the vessel, as will be understood. Hence the passengers are protected from the rolling motion of the vessel. In the center of the bottom portion of the car is a vertically-movable shaft 17, which is journaled in bearings 18 in the bottom of the cockpit, and in the bottom of the car and at the lower end of this standard and at the lower end of the said shaft 17 is mounted a Wheel 19, provided on one side with a beveled gearwhee120. At the upper end of the verticallymovable shaft 17 is a cross-bar 21, by means of which the said shaft and also the casterwheel 19 may be turned in any direction, as will be understood. From the bottom of the cock-pit rises a standard or bracket 22, to which is pivoted a lever 23, that is swiveled the opening 8, and suitable hatches 10 11 are,

to the vertically-movable shaft 17, and by means of which said shaft may be lowered to depress the caster-wheel 19, and thereby raise the car to minimize the friction between the rollers 16 and the inner shell of the vessel and cause the weight of the car to be almost entirely borne by the said caster-wheel 19. A vertically-disposed shaft 24 is journaled in bearings 25, is disposed closely to the shaft 17, has a beveled gear 26 at its lower-end which engages the beveled gear 20 of the easter-wheel 19, and its upper end is connected to a crank-shaft 27 by miter-gears 28. By turning the said crank-shaft when the shaft 17 has been lowered, or rather when the car has been raised to minimize the friction between the casters and the inner shell of the vessel, the caster-wheel 19 may be revolved to propel the car in and with relation to the globular vessel to turn the latter in the water in such manner as to cause either of the hatches to be raised above the water. Hence access to and egress from the vessel may be secured and persons in the vessel may be enabled to look out through either of the hatchways or to display a flag or other signal therethrough.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, operation, and advantages of our invention Will be readily apparent, it is thought, without requiring an extended explanation.

Various changes in -the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In combination with a globular outer vessel,acar having universal movement there in, independently thereof, and means to change the direction of movement of said car in said vessel, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a globular outer vessel, a car therein, slidably related thereto and having universal angular movement therein, so that the outer vessel may move in any direction without imparting rotary motion to the car.

3. In combination with a globular outer Vessel, a car therein and adapted for universal movement therein independently thereof, and means to propel said car and thereby turn the outer vessel, substantially as described. a?

4. A vessel of the class described, com prising a plurality of separable sections having forwardly-extendin g flanges secu red together to unite the said sections, and tread-flanges at right angles to said inwardly-extending flanges, the latter also forming ribs to strengthen the structure, substantially as described.

5. In combination with an outer vessel of the class described, a car therein, a verticallymovable supporting and rolling element with which the car is provided and adapted to be brought in contact with the outer vessel, and means to revolve said rolling and supporting elements and change the direction of said vessel relatively to the car, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANCIS TERWILLEGER. BERTRAND EUGENE TERWILLEGER.

Witnesses:

- J. HAYES TURNER,

H. J. THORNE. 

